Mainframe Engineer (W2 only)

Role: Mainframe Engineer

Location: McLean, VA - Hybrid

Job Description:

We are seeking a senior Mainframe Z/OS Technical Lead to act as the client-side SME overseeing outsourced mainframe services and guiding a small internal team.

Responsibilities:

• Provide technical oversight of vendor-managed mainframe operations

• Review daily operations, incidents, RCA, changes, and releases

• Validate vendor recommendations and ensure adherence to SLAs and ITIL processes

• Act as escalation point for complex mainframe issues

• Provide expert guidance on z/OS, Sysplex, WLM, JES, and RACF

• Oversee IMS (DB/DC), DB2 for z/OS, and CICS environments

• Review system performance, capacity, availability, and stability

• Recommend improvements for performance, automation, and cost optimization

• Identify risks, technical debt, and modernization opportunities

• Review DR, BCP, backup, and recovery strategies

• Provide architectural input for upgrades and future-state planning

• Communicate technical insights clearly to leadership and stakeholders

Required Skills:

• 10 years of strong hands-on mainframe experience

• Expert knowledge of z/OS, IMS, DB2, CICS

• Strong understanding of JCL, COBOL, and batch processing

• Experience with vendor-managed or outsourced environments

• Ability to influence, challenge, and guide vendors constructively

Preferred:

• Mainframe modernization or optimization experience

• ITIL process exposure

Regards,

Bharath Kumar

bharath.k@themesoft.com